The film, Oppenheimer, created a considerable flutter during the 81st Golden Globe Awards ceremony in January. It also bagged several awards at this year's Oscars. Oppenheimer has also collected over 950 million US dollars, including about Rs 150 crore in India.
One of the touching points of the film was when J.R. Oppenheimer met President H.S. Truman for the first time after the atom bombs had been dropped on Japan. Truman had made the decision to drop the bombs. “Mr. President,” Oppenheimer said, “I feel I have blood on my hands.” The president was not impressed. He stood up to signal that that meeting was over. In a letter to the secretary of state, Dean Acheson, the next year, Truman referred to Oppenheimer as a “cry-baby scientist”.
In a later interview, Oppenheimer said that after the atomic explosions, he felt “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds” and was reminded of “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once in the heavens, that would be like the splendour of the mighty Lord.” Both quotes are from the Bhagavad Gita. Oppenheimer, evidently, was suffering from a prick of conscience. On the one hand, he had undertaken a scientific task and had executed it efficiently; on the other hand, his moral sense had started to strangulate him.
Science and conscience both attempt to understand what is right and what is wrong. However, the scope of conscience is personal, while that of science is shared. The conscience of a scientist often faces a dilemma in deciding between right and wrong. Many scientists are detached from human affairs. They believe that they are engaged in understanding and deciphering the laws of nature, which are immutable. Hence, the reactions of others and their emotions are irrelevant to the study of nature. However, science touches our lives in deep and meaningful ways. Therefore, even a scientist whose contributions to science are completely theoretical needs to be concerned about what is right and what is wrong.
Conscience is likely partially inherited, but mostly developed during one’s life course. A prerequisite to developing a scientific conscience is to develop a scientific attitude and make science a habit. This means that we must think rationally; that is, observe an event or a phenomenon, question how it may have occurred, make a reasonable guess and collect additional evidence to support or refute the guess, and then collect further evidence. This is the scientific method. It is important to bear in mind that science is not the property of individuals who have studied science. Science is a way of thinking and cannot belong to a privileged few.
Article 51A(h) of the Constitution states that it is the duty of every citizen of India “to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.” While it is the duty of each of us to develop these qualities, scientists have an added responsibility. Every scientist ought to spend time to help society develop a scientific temper and the spirit of inquiry. It is unacceptable that a scientist should adopt an amoral attitude because such an attitude is detrimental to social welfare.
We live in an interdependent society. Our lives are intricately connected with the lives of many around us. This interdependence is greatly beneficial. To maintain this ethos, we have to assume greater responsibilities. The tools of science enhance a society’s ability to think rationally for collective welfare. Religious dogma, on the other hand, is based on the philosophy of ignorance. It is, therefore, the duty of every citizen to help uplift others from ignorance by enabling them to think rationally using the scientific method. An added responsibility is to fight “the appalling situation which confronts mankind when the powers placed by science at human disposal fall into the hands of men of ill-will or of purely unmoral group-egoism”, as identified by the philosopher and educator, William E. Hocking. The world has witnessed many such situations last year; let us hope that we do not confront any this year.
Partha P. Majumder is National Science Chair, Government of India
